Tedlla Asfaw
I am an Ethiopian who read ONLF website (English) regularly and get my information on what is going in Eastern Ethiopia, Ogaden. I am also a person who have first hand experience working in Jijiga and its surroundings in the 1980s. The poverty and lack of infrastructure development in the area is still fresh in my mind.
Ogaden suffered also immensely during Bari's invasion of Ethiopia in 1977 and its worst tragedy however has been unfolding since the attack by ONLF the Chinese Oil Company two years ago and the total war declared on Ogaden by TPLF. Since then I kept following the situation closely and wrote my view for all and some Somali websites put my piece to be read and I have not got such luck with ONLF site however.
I hope it is not censoring all of us who are not from Ogaden. My worry however is that maybe the case. We organized a rally this past Friday October 25 in D.C. to denounce TPLF and stand with Somali brothers and sisters in their difficult time and call for USA to stop participating on the killing and human right abuse in Ogaden.
It was my hope that ONLF website will cover the news this time at least to inform its readers what happened last Friday in D.C. Sadly ONLF failed to report about it. How comes a concern from US. Congressman Donald Payne has more weight than hundreds of Ethiopians who deeply felt the pain of Ogden brothers and sisters ?
The problem in Ogaden can only be solved in democratic Ethiopia where liberation movements like ONLF, OLF and all political organizations participate and tackle all their common problems without any preconditions and prejudice. Reporting without prejudice will help us create a conducive atmosphere for our future.
